Men on Boats – Digital Program | Department of Theatre & Dance

CofC Stages proudly presents

Men on Boats

by Jaclyn Backhaus

Directed by Sharon Graci

Scenic Designer Madison Berry	Costume Designer Savannah Blake	Lighting Designer Alex Jones	Sound Designer Miles Boinest
Technical Director JD Stallings	Costume Shop Manager Ellen Swick		Stage Manager Olivia Maness

October 4-13, 2023
Chapel Theatre, 172 Calhoun Street

Jump to: Production Team | Acknowledgments | Director’s and Dramaturgical Note | Cast and Production Team Biographies

Cast

Production Team

CofC Stages Artistic Director: Janine McCabe
Production Supervisor: Miles Boinest
Assistant Director: Kylie Daisey
Dramaturg: Nora Gore
Assistant Stage Managers: Cheyenne Comitz, Grace Albertson
Stage Management Advisor: Susan Kattwinkel

Scenic Design Advisor: Jonathan Wentz
Properties Lead: Madison Berry
Scenic Charge: Jonathan Wentz
Assistant Scenic Charge: Madison Berry
Carpenters: Brandon Alston, Arsalan Baig, Cheyenne Comitz, Jacob Rye, Aidan Wunderley, students of Stagecraft
Properties Room Managers: Isabella Gardner, Riley Taylor
Scene Shop Staff (select students hired by the Department of Theatre & Dance with support from donor funding): Bristol Barnes, Madison Berry, Isabella Gardner, Eli Salas

Costume Design Advisors: Janine McCabe, Ellen Swick
Hair and Make-Up Design: Savannah Blake
Sewing & Alterations: Zoe Barber, Ava Woods and students of Intro to Costuming
Wardrobe Crew: Brandon Alston, Lindsay Ward
Costume Shop Staff (select students hired by the Department of Theatre & Dance with support from donor funding): Brandon Alston, Stef Amezcua Barrientos, Zoe Barber, Savannah Blake, Ashlyn Denham, Mattison Gaillard

Lighting Design Advisor: Lauren Duffie
Head Electrician: Bootsie Baldwin
Apprentice Electrician: Abby Israel
Light Board Programmer: Ngaa Magombedze
Light Board Operator: Sam Rhodes
Electricians: Emma Bennett, Caroline Drinnon, Abby Israel, Ngaa Magombedze, Hannah Moore, Reed, Chris Warzynski
Electric Shop Staff (select students hired by the Department of Theatre & Dance with support from donor funding): Bootsie Baldwin, Alex Jones, Chris Warzynski

Assistant Sound Designer: Bea Lemaster
Sound Engineer: Caleb Garner

CofC Stages Operations Coordinator: Miles Boinest
Marketing & Communications: Nandini B. McCauley
Graphic Designer: Rob Alexander
Photography: David Mandel, Max Myers
Publicity: Madison Berry, Bristol Barnes, Kaylee Phillips
Office Assistant: Ngaa Magombedze
Box Office: George Street Box Office
House Manager: Alejandra Casco, Michael Davenport, Kaycee Dial, Reagan Neilson, Rosey Pelicano

Special Thanks

School of the Arts Interim Dean Elizabeth Meyer-Bernstein, Meagan McMahon, Rodney Lee Rogers, Carolyna Ramirez, and the George Street Box Office Staff

Thank you to all of our donors!

Become an Impact Sponsor
The Department of Theatre and Dance offers opportunities to become an Impact Sponsor. Impact Sponsors have a direct financial and personal impact on individual students with whom you’ll be connected. You will be honored at special events, receive recognition in the 2022-2023 season programs and other department reports and receive updates from your student. For more information, visit theatre.cofc.edu/support and contact our office at 843.953.6306 to declare your impact.

Impact Sponsor Levels:
BENEFACTOR $2,500+ (for incoming student scholarship)
Add your name here!

GUARDIAN $750 (Clarence Student Award)
Karl & Charlene Bunch
Tap & Jean Johnson
Valerie Morris
Evelynn Putnam
Nancy & Sam Stafford
Chester & Arlene Williams
Anonymous (2)

Special Gifts: (Leave a lasting legacy. Learn more: 843.953.5348 or cofclegacy.org)
Anonymous – legacy gift
Charleston Academy of Music
John Covington & Robert Lukey – legacy gift
Michael & Susan Master – legacy gift

Become a Season Sponsor
As we transitions back to live in-person audiences and mask-free performances last season, we worked hard to keep our students and audiences engaged. We preserved the student experience during these last two years, but we lost essential revenue that plays a huge role in funding our season’s productions. Your donations contribute to funding the essentials needed for scenery, lighting, sound, and costumes, but more importantly, they help support student employees, student research and travel, and other student-focused experiences. We can’t do this without your generosity!

Season Sponsor Levels:
PRODUCER $1000+
Karl & Charlene Bunch
Anthony Laneve
Chester & Arlene Williams

ADVOCATE $750-999
Tap & Jean Johnson
Janine McCabe
Valerie Morris
Evelynn Putnam
Nancy & Sam Stafford

STAR $500-749
Leslie Dyke
Michael & Susan Master

DIRECTOR $250-499
Sandra Garner
Janice & Jay Messeroff
Laura Turner
Jonathan & Janine Wentz

FAN $100-249
Kristin Alexander
Rebecca Boone
Glenda Byars
Todd McNerney
Elena & Ted Mitchell
Sam Rhodes
Emma Simmons
Jillian & Michael Smallwood

PATRON up to $99
Caroline Baker, Mary Beth Berry, Shelby North, Bari Perales, Claire Steffens

Director’s Note

Men on Boats has been a joy to work on with a group of fine actors who have demonstrated again and again their commitment to craft, to this play and process, and most importantly, to one another. What strikes me most about the script is the gift it gives to engage in true ensemble work. Complex characters in heightened situations, forward energy, pace, anticipating what’s next while remaining present in the moment, listening HARD, responding, and bringing it at the Spinal Tap “11” while still finding nuance—all are strong components of this piece and of which this ensemble has a solid command. The designers, assistant director, stage managers, and crew are all exceptional collaborators who have built a cohesive, lush world that stands on its own artistic merits while seamlessly aggregating into an engaging, entertaining, and provocative piece of theatre. Please enjoy the wild and wonderful ride of Men on Boats!

—Sharon Graci, Director

Dramaturgical Note

On May 24th, John Wesley Powell, famous geologist and explorer, and his crew of Civil War veterans, hunters, trappers, and mostly inexperienced explorers of all ages and backgrounds, set out to do the impossible: navigate the Colorado River and become the “first” men to sail through the uncharted Grand Canyon. This journey would prove to be challenging and burdensome but would bring together a group of unlikely characters on a voyage through uncharted territory.

Throughout Jaclyn Backhaus’ play, we can immerse ourselves in the camaraderie and the challenges of this crew, like running rocky rapids and saving themselves from life-threatening situations. We can see ourselves in their varied personalities, their desires to make history, and even their flaws of selfishness and fear that overtake them in pivotal moments of the expedition.

Going into this story, it is important to remember that despite their success, the men on this expedition were not actually the first to navigate this land. Due to the collective “Manifest Destiny” ideal in the 19th century, white Americans were eager to discover the uncharted West and often disregarded the millions of indigenous communities that had inhabited it for centuries. The most prominent is the Ute Tribe that are the longest inhabitants of the Colorado region. Throughout the show, the explorers acknowledge that they are not the first ones to discover these lands. These subtle but necessary details inserted throughout the show are Backhaus’ way of recognizing Native Americans’ role in the exploration of the West.

Men on Boats is a wonderfully unique show, not just because there are no men on stage, but because the playwright, an indigenous woman, takes a historical narrative of adventure and survival and creates a space for people of color and noncisgendered men to tell the stories that they have been left out of for centuries. She is not focused on the historical accuracy of the story and asks audiences to set aside their preconceived notions about casting and history to engage in this wild, stressful, and hilarious journey through the American West. She hopes that it will inspire you to seek out other hidden figures in history, whose stories have been untold so that they too can obtain a lasting legacy.

—Nora Gore, Dramaturg

Cast and Production Team Biographies

Guest Artist:
Sharon Graci is the co-founder and artistic director of PURE Theatre. Under her leadership, PURE Theatre has developed into one of the premier theatre companies in the Southeast. She is responsible for programming and producing more than 90 Southeast Regional Premiere productions, 27 World Premiere productions and for developing multiple PURE programs that heighten PURE’s impact and amplify PURE’s position as a “community building theatre” (Charleston City Paper). Notable initiatives include PURE Lab, the division of PURE responsible for developing new work, and PURE Youth Companies, PURE’s education arm serving students in SC’s Title 1 Schools. She is also responsible for implementing PURE’s industry-leading streaming program, which scales PURE’s work and serves audiences and students locally and throughout SC, the US, and abroad. Under her leadership, PURE was awarded the SC Theatre Association’s 2020 Theatre of Distinction Award.

Sharon is the recipient of the South Carolina Arts Commission Fellowship for Acting. She is an alumnus of Lincoln Center Director’s Lab and is a SC Liberty Fellow, and a member of the Aspen Institute and the Aspen Global Leadership Network. She has a degree in acting from Augusta State University and studied acting at Point Park University and the Pittsburgh Conservatory of Theatre. Selected Directing Credits: World Premieres – Atwater, Septima, Folly Beach, A Sudden Spontaneous Event, Sheep’s Clothing. Regional Premieres – Compulsion, Mlima’s Tale, Choir Boy (MOJA Festival), Sweat (MOJA Festival, Piccolo Spoleto Festival), The Royale, This Random World, Father Comes Home from the Wars: Parts 1, 2, and 3, Slowgirl, Marie Antoinette, Penelope, The Birds, The Mountaintop, The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity. Selected Stage Acting Credits: The Testament of Mary, The Lifespan of a Fact, Vanya and Sonya and Masha and Spike, Time Stands Still, Hogs, The Beauty Queen of Leenane (PURE Theatre); King Lear, Twelfth Night (Actors Theatre of SC); Dancing at Lughnasa (Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte). Television/Film: Mr. Mercedes (On Demand), Reckless (CBS), Homeland (Showtime), One Tree Hill (WB), Army Wives (Lifetime), The Inspectors (CBS) and Surface (NBC). Film: The Wise Kids, Warrior Road, Downturn, Destiny Road.

Madison Berry (Scenic Designer) is a senior at the College of Charleston majoring in Theatre with a double concentration in Performance and Scenic Design. Recent design work for the mainstage includes Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet (Assistant Scenic Designer) and Violet (Properties Lead). She has been awarded the 2023 Randy Lutz Allied Design & Tech National Finalist for her properties design (Violet) by The Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. Her work has also been seen in the community in Daniel and the Kings (Assistant Properties Designer) and Spoleto’s Stelle di Domani 2023 production of There’s Always Tomorrow (Director). She would like to thank Jonathan Wentz and JD Stallings for being amazing mentors.

Savannah Blake (Costume Designer) is a senior at the College of Charleston majoring in Theatre (Costume Design). Her design credits include Pipeline, Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, and The Tales of Hoffmann at the college as well as Little Gem, Compulsion, or the House Behind (co-design) and The Chinese Lady at PURE Theatre.

Phoenix Brown (Johnson/Understudy) is a senior at the College of Charleston majoring in Theatre (Performance). They were last seen in last season’s Two Gentlemen of Verona. They are very excited to once again be performing for the mainstage! They would like to thank the director, their castmates, and the crew for this amazing show!

Katie Burns (Goodman) is a sophomore majoring in both Theatre (Theatre Studies) and Marine Biology. She is thrilled to be acting in her first fully-produced mainstage show after being a part of the department’s staged reading of The Late Wedding last season.

Kylie Daisey (Assistant Director) is a junior at the college majoring in Theatre (Performance). Men on Boats is their first assistant directing position in the department after serving in technical roles for Center Stage and the mainstage.

Lauren Evans (Mr. Asa/Understudy) is a junior at CofC majoring in Theater (Performance). Most recently you may have seen her in last season’s production of Two Gentlemen of Verona. She also guided you through a spooky excursion through last fall’s haunted house and she is excited for her third appearance in the Chapel Theatre. She wants to thank her family for their support of her dreams, and her fellow cast and crew members for making this such a great experience! She also wants to thank you, without your support this wouldn’t be possible. Enjoy the show!

Isabella Gardner (John Wesley Powell) is a junior double majoring in Theatre and Arts Management. She has spent plenty of time in the Chapel Theatre this year, having appearing onstage in The Two Gentlemen of Verona in March, Firebringer in April, and as the stage manager for There’s Always Tomorrow during the Stelle di Domani series (directed by Madison Berry). She is grateful to lead her crew into opening the CofC Stages 2023-2024 mainstage season!

Nora Gore (Dramaturg) is a senior majoring in Theatre (Performance), and this is the third show for which she has served as a dramaturg, following Cabaret and Violet.

Trinity Griffin (O.G. Howland) is a senior double majoring in Theatre (Performance) and Communication. You may have previously seen her in the College of Charleston mainstage productions Last Night and The Night Before and Pipeline. Trinity would like to thank her family, friends, cast & crew and director for their support and guidance for her last CofC production!

Alex Jones (Lighting Designer) is a Junior majoring in Theatre (Lighting Design and Technology). They are also the Technical Director for Center Stage (the student run theatre organization). Alex is thrilled to be designing their first mainstage show! Recent technical credits at the college include Two Gentlemen of Verona (Head Electrician), Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet (Associate Lighting Designer), and Shifting Perspectives (Lighting Designer). Alex wants to thank their mentor Lauren Duffie for everything she does.

Bea Lemaster (Hall) is a senior studying Theatre with a focus on producing and directing for the stage. Last seen in Violet, directed by Nakeisha Daniel, Bea is excited to return to the stage! A special thank you to the wonderful cast and crew, and Bea hopes you enjoy…Men in Boots!

Olivia Maness (Stage Manager) is a sophomore majoring in Theatre (Design and Technology/Theatre Studies). She is very excited to be stage managing her first mainstage show. Recent credits include Violet (Assistant Stage Manager), Proof (Stage Manager), Marcus; or The Secret of Sweet (Assistant Stage Manager), and The Late Wedding. Olivia wants to thank her family, mentor Dr. Susan Kattwinkel, and the faculty and staff of the Department of Theatre and Dance for their continuous help and support!

Natalie Montserrat (William Dunn) is a sophomore Theater major and double minor studying French and Linguistics. She appeared in The Late Wedding last spring and has done local work with Charleston Stage, PURE Theatre’s youth company, and Charleston County School of the Arts prior to College of Charleston. For those of you who may know her as Natalie Holland, she uses the surname Montserrat for artistic endeavors as it is a beloved family member’s name who she’s inspired by creatively.

Natalia Ramirez (George Young Bradley) is a Junior at the College of Charleston majoring in Theater (Performance). She is very excited to be a part of the Men on Boats cast as her first mainstage show.

Joy Sabet (Just Jim/Understudy) is a Junior double majoring in Psychology and Spanish and minoring in linguistics. She is stoked to be in her first mainstage show! She has previously been in The Late Wedding.

Brandi Smalls (Old Shady) is a Junior majoring in Theatre (Performance). She’s so excited to be a part of this show and has been seen previously in Pipeline, Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley and Marcus, or The Secret of Sweet.

Tippy Trombly (Seneca Howland) is a junior majoring in Theatre and Arts Management. She was last seen in Center Stage’s production of Five Women Wearing the Same Dress and PURE Theatre’s Compulsion. She is thrilled to be in her first mainstage show & to work with an incredible cast, crew, and director.

Aidan Wunderley (Hawkins) is a junior majoring in Theatre (Performance). Aidan’s previous shows with the College of Charleston mainstage include A Sudden Spontaneous Event, Everybody, and Two Gentlemen of Verona. Aidan is also involved as an actor, stage manager, director, and student representative with the student theatre organization Center Stage. Aidan wants to thank you for supporting the arts and hopes you enjoy the wild ride that is Men on Boats.

LG Wylie (John Colton Sumner) is a junior majoring Theatre (Performance). This is her first mainstage production at the college! She has previously been seen in Center Stage’s The Bacchae and Firebringer. She hopes you have a rootin’, tootin’, and boot-scootin’ good time watching Men on Boats!

Up next:

Center Stage presents The Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Charleston Music Hall!

Learn more and buy tickets here.

CofC Stages’ fall shows:

After the Rain: a dance concert — October 28-29 • Sottile Theatre
The aftermath of a storm can bring growth, rebuilding from devastation, or new beginnings. Featuring choreography by faculty and guest artists, After the Rain is a concert of contemporary and classical dance works inspired by the strength we have to move forward when the clouds lift. Recommended for all ages.

In Love and Warcraft by Madhuri Shekar (staged reading) — November 3-6 • Chapel Theatre
Madhuri Shekar’s gamer girl Evie Malone has it all figured out. Not only does she command a top-ranked guild in Warcraft with her online boyfriend; she also makes a little cash on the side writing love letters for people who’ve screwed up their relationships. Love is like Warcraft, after all. It’s all about strategies, game plans, and not taking stupid risks. In Love and Warcraft is the first offering in our new Staged Reading Series.

Pippin by Stephen Schwartz and Roger O. Hirson — November 17-19 • Sottile Theatre
There’s magic to do when a prince learns the true meaning of glory, love, and war in Stephen Schwartz’s iconic and unforgettable musical masterpiece. In search of the secret to true happiness and fulfillment, Pippin finds that happiness lies not in extraordinary endeavors, but rather in the unextraordinary moments that happen every day.

Learn more and buy tickets here.

Land Acknowledgement: We acknowledge that we are located on the traditional lands of the first people of Charleston: The Etiwan, Kiawah, Edisto Natchez Kusso, Santee, and Wassamassaw people (also known as Varner Town Indians). We acknowledge and honor all the indigenous people who lived, labored and were faithful stewards of the land. We express our deep gratitude for the land and continued faithful stewardship to the next seven generations.

We also acknowledge the lives and labor of the Africans who were enslaved to build Charleston, South Carolina. On this campus and in our spaces, African and African-descended people used skilled labor in ornamental ironwork, historic architecture, and low country agriculture and food production. On behalf of the College of Charleston, we acknowledge the Black lives and labor that built our city and our campus.